


A Lesson in Swordplay

by StarryNox



Series: Chrobin Week 2017 [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/M, anyway have some chrom teaching robin to use a sword, this is...sort of an excerpt from a larger piece i'm working on??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 08:52:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12384900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryNox/pseuds/StarryNox
Summary: “Don’t just stand there smirking at me,” Robin grumbled, glowering at him.“Sorry, sorry,” Chrom shook his head. “It’s just…it seemed like you picked up on everything else quickly enough. I assumed swordplay would be the same.”Day 2: Training





	A Lesson in Swordplay

“Show me how you hold a sword.” He handed her a practice sword and stepped back to observe her. Frankly, Frederick was probably a better teacher than he, but with his lieutenant not particularly eager to spend time with the tactician (and even less so to teach her a skill that he thought could be used against them), the task fell to Chrom, who circled her, trying to eye her the way Frederick might. 

But then again, he didn’t have to look very hard. He’d noted, during the handful of fights they’d had thus far, that she was hardly what he would call proficient with a sword. Her swings were wild and untrained, and he frankly thought it was a miracle she hadn’t hurt herself in the process. And, indeed, her stance now was hardly anything he was comfortable with. Her grip on the handle of the sword was far too tight, and he thought she could be knocked over at a moment’s notice with how narrow her stance was. It was well and good if she intended to fire from a tome—he’d seen Miriel stand similarly many a time before—but not if she intended to be in the middle of things. But at least her weight seemed to be on the balls of her feet, and her stance was otherwise loose—good signs, both of them. 

“I don’t really know what I’m doing,” she admitted upon his third circle, and he shot her a grin. 

“We all start somewhere, don’t we? I’ll help you.” He stepped towards her, deciding it easier to just show her the right positions than try to describe them. “Spread your feet—you’ll be more balanced that way. And loosen your grip on your sword.” He nudged her foot over with his own as he spoke. “You’re smaller, so it’ll be easier for you to wield two-handed. Your front hand should be the control—your other hand is just there to counterbalance.” He reached around her to shift her grip, her hands small in his own. “See? It’s easier to move.” 

"Huh. That does make a big difference.” She turned to smile at him, and he became acutely aware of just how near her face was to his. He stepped back, hoping that his embarrassment didn’t show on his face. “So…now what?” 

“Well…now we teach you the basics.” He picked up a training sword of his own and stood next to her. “When you strike with your sword, you need to put your whole body into it.” He demonstrated, stepping forward as he swung the wooden blade downwards. “You can strike in any number of directions—like so.” Having demonstrated, he nodded towards her. “Now you try.” 

A natural, she was not. Though her brow was furrowed in concentration, it soon became clear that the ability to copy movements easily was not something she had, and Chrom had to bite back a smile at her awkward attempts at a sword strike. 

“Don’t just stand there smirking at me,” Robin grumbled, glowering at him. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Chrom shook his head. “It’s just…it seemed like you picked up on everything else quickly enough. I assumed swordplay would be the same.” He stepped back over to her, leading her through the movements once more. It was awkward, trying to mimic the sweep of a sword with someone standing between his arms, but once he stepped back once again the difference was significant. The movements hardly looked natural for her, but she could, at least, swing it properly, and he had every faith that she’d grow used to the movements given time. 

“Like this?” she asked, glancing at him between swings. 

“Like that,” he agreed with a nod. “Keep going.” And so she did, until she began to complain that her arms hurt from the effort. 

“I get the distinct impression that I didn’t use a sword much—if at all—prior to losing my memories,” she said with a groan as they made their way back towards a more central part of their encampment. Chrom chuckled. 

“Well, I think that’s a fairly good guess.” He ignored the surprisingly adorable pout from his companion—he’d thought he’d grown immune, thanks to Lissa, but apparently not. “But it’s…nice, in a way. Teaching you, I mean.” 

“How so?” He felt himself blush, and hoped she would chalk it up to exertion. 

“Well, er, it’s never bad to review the basics,” he began, not wanting to jump straight to the reason that had first come to mind. “And, well, it helps me get a better sense for how you fight. No more bumping into each other, yeah?” 

“In my defense, your moves in that first battle were often unpredictable,” she pointed out, and he laughed. 

“Well, yes, but at least now I might be more likely to stay out of your way. That, and…it’s nice to spend time together, I suppose.” 

“Chrom, we spend several hours per day in the war tent planning our next moves.” 

“I know, I know, but…that’s work.” 

“So is this.” He rolled his eyes. 

“Different kind of work,” he amended. “It just feels like we talk battle plans and nothing else…I can’t imagine that’s particularly enjoyable.” 

“I like tactics,” Robin replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “But I guess I see your point. This was a nice change of pace, even if I’m sure I’ll be sore tomorrow.” She sighed. “It’s just…I have so much to catch up on, you know? Turns out I can barely read the books I borrowed from the library back at the castle—trying to sort my way through them has been a nightmare.” His eyes widened. He hadn’t even considered the idea that she might not be fully proficient in Ylissean’s written from. Though she spoke with a definitive accent and occasionally mixed up a word or two, she was practically fluent. 

“Gods, I didn’t even think of that.” 

“Not your fault. I didn’t either, until I sat down with one of them.” She grimaced. “I feel like there’s so much I don’t know, Chrom. I don’t know if I can really lead the Shepherds the way you want me to.” He settled a hand on her shoulder, bringing both of them to a stop. 

“Listen to me, Robin. I hired you as my tactician, yes, but I don’t want to bring too heavy a burden onto your shoulders while you’re still adjusting to everything. If it gets to be too much, you’ll tell me. Won’t you?” She nodded. “Good. And if you need help with anything—be it swordplay or an unfamiliar word, you can always come to me. I hope you know that.” 

"I didn’t really think it was worth bothering you over,” she admitted. “But, if you insist, I will. Just, um, know you can rely on me too. Maybe not for as many things, but…” 

“I know.” He grinned. “Now, how about we wash up for dinner? Stahl’s on mess duty tonight, and I won’t mind if you bring one of your books along.” She laughed. 

“Are you sure? You’re usually the first to complain that I’m not taking enough time to relax.” 

“I dragged you out to the training fields for the whole afternoon,” Chrom replied with a grin. “The least I can do is let you get back to your studying, don’t you think?”


End file.
